Ribspreader – Reap Humanity (Xtreem Music)
Wednesday, 10th January 2024
If you check into the discography of Swedish musician Rogga Johansson on Metal-Archives, the list of bands, projects, and albums that have been released is astronomical. There’s no shortness of creativity or productivity workflow, that’s for certain. Ribspreader has been active over twenty-one years, as Reap Humanity is the tenth album for the group – another molten set of Swedish death that leans heavily on more of the punk/groove-like side a la Edge of Sanity with the right melodic runs/embellishment while still maintaining a crushing atmosphere.
The latest lineup for Ribspreader includes guitarist Taylor Nordberg (Deicide, ex-Massacre) and drummer Jeramie Kling (Venom Inc., ex-Massacre) surrounding the vocals, guitar, and bass duties of Rogga. Slower, doom-like chords ring out for opener “The Skeletal Towers” before the mid-paced effort gains energy, Rogga’s deadly low roar next to some sick riffs and double kick injection mandates hair windmill activities. They’ve really taken certain tracks into more aggressive, speedier terrain – “A Fleshless Gathering” and “Further Into Decay” possessing locomotive qualities, Jeramie slaughtering his snare/double kick for all its worth, although the latter also contains some interesting, controlled parts where you could see bodies hurtling into one another. On the other side, the natural interplay between the trio allows for some dynamic twists – the title track especially refreshing through some progressive shuffles, stop/start riff passages, as well as supplemental melodic guitar runs next to mandatory tremolo death action. Faded in guitar feedback plus distant narrative sequence puts closer “Shrouded in Despair” into another memorable effort – the titanic riffs lull the listener into this doom-oriented state, a short 2:30 instrumental affair that ties the nine songs together brilliantly.
Ribspreader doesn’t attempt to rewrite the importance of classic Swedish death – instead embracing the mighty strength as well as long running stamina for the movement. Surrounding himself with well-respected musicians able to execute these ideas at varying paces, Reap Humanity assures Rogga longevity as well as respect for his commitment to the cause.
